The government is seeking views on the possibility of public elections for some members of the eight National Park Authorities in England and the Broads Authority.

Consultation ends 28th November, http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/np-directelections/index.htm

There are a few new items of interest from the Charity Commission:
– Updated ‘Complaints about charities’ guidance (CC47) looks at when the Commission will, or will not, follow up on complaints about charities. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publications/cc47.asp.

– ‘Conflicts in your charity - A statement of approach by the Charity Commission’ gives guidance on when the Commission will or will not get involved in a dispute, plus provides details of organisations that may be able to offer additional information and support. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/investigations/conapp.asp

– ‘Affordable Home Ownership - Charitable Status and Tax’, published jointly with HM Revenue & Customs and the Housing Corporation, explains when providing affordable low cost home ownership may be charitable and the legal and tax implications. http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/supportingcharities/homeown.asp.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Leighton Andrews, has declared that he is “committed to implementing the findings of the Quirk review in Wales”, which called for more community ownership of public buildings, “across all of Wales not just the most populated towns and cities”. He hopes to make a further announcement in the autumn on establishing a community asset fund to help to make the buildings fit for purpose. News item at http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2321519/?lang=en.

The Deputy Minister has also announced a “new fund to boost community regeneration” of at least £25 million over the next three years. This should have a sharper focus than previous Communities First funds on stimulating practical improvements to tackle poverty, contribute to wider regeneration initiatives and improving employability. See http://new.wales.gov.uk/news/presreleasearchive/2315902/?lang=en.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, with the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, has produced a promotional leaflet highlighting how housing associations are playing their part in developing the social economy.

‘Housing Associations and Social Enterprise: Engaging with Scotland’s growing alternative business movement’ in pdf format, 301KB, from http://www.sfha.co.uk/site/documents/842.pdf. (Source: CRNS)

A call for evidence has been issued for the government review which aims to identify how locally led economic development and regeneration can be implemented efficiently and effectively. It wants to hear about any central government activity which is holding back such action.

Deadline 23rd May, http://www.communities.gov.uk/liftingburdens/callsforevidence/live/regeneration/.

(Source: Acre alert)

The New Policy Institute, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is scoping the demand for a possible service carrying out small pieces of analysis of statistical data for community and voluntary organisations.

This would draw on their expertise and resources on statistics covering income, employment, education, housing, transport, health and other topics - see http://www.poverty.org.uk.

Survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xt9fbcn6Yg7YcpgylSh2uw_3d_3d - respond by 26th April.

(Source: IVAC eNews)

The government is planning to publish a White Paper on empowerment in England in the summer.

This will address involving people actively in regeneration, active citizenship, reviving civic society and strengthening local accountability. Contributions are invited, on such questions as What is the role of government in encouraging and supporting citizens to be active?

See http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/unlockingtalent (and there’s an online forum running to 10th April).

Look Ahead Housing and Care has published a report on its innovative Customer Training Programme for vulnerable and hard to reach clients. It charts a journey to provide customers, such as single homeless people, young people, individuals with mental health difficulties and learning disabilities, with the skills and confidence to take part in involvement activities. The Training Manual is also included, with advice for others going down this route.

Download the 1.27MB pdf ‘Customer Training Programme Handbook’ (or request a connected DVD) from http://www.lookahead.org.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/156.asp.

Scottish Social Networks has launched an online database of projects across the country involved in mediation, mentoring or befriending, with a focus on homelessness and social inclusion.

The database is under Contacts Search (and searching uses cookies) at http://www.scottishsocialnetworks.org.

Urban Forum has produced a briefing about the new Local Area Agreements (LAAs) which local government will be implementing. It explains what they are and how they will work in their wider context of the New Performance Framework, and some handy hints on how to be more involved.

In Word format, 61kb, from http://www.urbanforum.org.uk/word%20files/LAA_briefing_Jan_08.doc.

Plaza Publishing news alert reports that Shelter is facing the possibility of industrial action after union members voted to reject proposals to change staff pay and working conditions.

The charity has said that the changes are essential in competing for major contracts such as those from the Legal Services Commission. News item at http://www.plazapublishing.co.uk/shelter.html.

A number of connected consultations (for England), where you might like to take a look at NCVO’s Briefing on Developments on Local Government Issues first - in Word format, 235kb, from http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/index.asp?id=2445.

Community strategies, local area agreements, performance indicators

Draft guidance to local authorities and their partners on creating strong safe and prosperous communities, in connection with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 is out for consultation. It covers Local Strategic Partnerships, Sustainable Community Strategies, the new duty to involve, Local Area Agreements, the revised best value regime and commissioning. Responses by 12th February. http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/statutoryguidance.

The government is also consulting to 21st December on the technical definitions for the set of 198 national performance indicators from which LSPs will chose up to 35 to apply locally. http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/indicatorsdefinitions

Sector representation in Local Strategic Partnerships

‘Principles of representation: A framework for effective third sector representation in Local Strategic Partnerships’ is a set of guiding principles intended to assist the local third sector to organise itself and maximise the impact of its voice on LSPs. Consultation to 12th February, http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/principlesofrepresentation.

Local snapshots in Comprehensive Area Assessments

Connected with the above is a consultation document on developing the Comprehensive Area Assessment by the Audit Commission. This is designed to give an annual snapshot of life in a local area and help local services to improve quality of life. To 12th February - see Office of Third Sector intro.